Introduction to Logan Square’s Dining Scene
LOGAN SQUARE — Two new Mexican restaurants are now open along the neighborhood’s bustling Milwaukee Avenue, and a slew of restaurants and cafes, including two sushi spots, are set to debut in the coming months in Logan Square and Avondale.
New Restaurants in Logan Square
Here’s what’s happening in the neighborhood’s restaurant scene this summer:
Mucho Gusto Barra + Cocina
The storefront that formerly housed The Old Plank, a Tex-Mex restaurant from local restaurateur Esam Hani that closed earlier this year, has new life as Mucho Gusto Barra + Cocina.
2700 N. Milwaukee Ave.
(773) 661-2190
Noon-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, Noon-2 a.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-Friday, 10-3 a.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday.
The restaurant is decked out in colorful Mexican flowers, lit signs and artwork as a love letter to the Mexican city San Miguel de Allende, serving modern versions of Mexican classics.
Menu items include enchiladas made with Oaxaca black mole, cochinita pibil slow-roasted in banana leaves and shrimp sautéed in a spicy tomato-garlic sauce. The cocktail program is focused on mezcal and tequila drinks and house infusions, with fresh juices and Latin spirits.
“In Latin culture, when someone thanks you for anything — your service, your time, your food — the natural response is ‘con mucho gusto,’” the owners said in a statement. “That spirit of generosity sparked the idea behind the name. Everything we do here is truly con mucho gusto — with flavor, with soul and with love.”
“Con mucho gusto” translates to “with great pleasure.”
Hani, who owns several other restaurants on the block, is part-owner of Mucho Gusto Barra + Cocina.
La Lunita
A few blocks south of Mucho Gusto, La Lunita opened June 14 at 2539 N. Milwaukee Ave., the old location of Trike Sushi.
2539 N. Milwaukee Ave.
(312) 264-4688
4-11 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 3 p.m.-12 a.m. Friday and Saturday
La Lunita is the second restaurant by the Sanchez family, who opened La Luna in Pilsen six years ago. The menu highlights local and seasonal ingredients with meat and veggie-friendly classics like tacos, elotes, Oaxacan fondue and seafood options that include octopus, striped bass and tuna plates.
The drink menu has Mexican wines and craft beers, plus mezcal cocktails, all of which can be made non-alcoholic.
Allez Cafe
Last month, Allez Cafe opened a Logan Square outpost inside Cara Cara Club, 2545 N. Kedzie Blvd. This is the Bucktown cafe’s second location.
2545 N. Kedzie Blvd.
7 a.m.-1 p.m. daily
The new cafe has a full espresso menu and other coffee drinks, handmade pastries, breakfast sandwiches and a rotating list of food options.
The owners will be playing vinyl albums 10 a.m.-1 p.m. every Friday in the bar’s high fidelity listening room, they announced on social media.
Allez Cafe opened a new location inside Cara Cara Club June 28, 2025 in Logan Square, 2545 N. Kedzie Blvd., seen July 2, 2025.
Upcoming Restaurants in Logan Square and Avondale
Restaurants set to open soon in Logan Square and Avondale:
Omakase Box
A omakase and handroll sushi spot is opening at 3038 W. Armitage Ave. later this month after renovating an empty storefront below an apartment building. It aims to offer quality sushi at an approachable price and a dining experience that combines elegance with accessibility, owners said on social media.
Andrew Choi, former owner of Jinsei Motto, is behind the restaurant, which will have a soft opening July 23 and will fully open on July 30, Choi told Block Club.
Jinsei Motto
The West Loop restaurant closed earlier this year after four years operating out of CH Distillery Bar and Table. Its partnership was abruptly terminated in January, said new owner and chef Patrick Bouaphanh.
“We agreed on keeping the agreement going until the end of 2025, with the intention of either continuing the partnership into the future, or spreading our wings, and going on our own,” Bouaphanh told Block Club. “Don’t get me wrong, everything we’ve accomplished in CH Distillery was a dream come true.”
He had hoped to stay in West Loop but no location stood out to him, he said. He recently moved the business into the Logan Square building that housed Testaccio, 2456 N. California Ave., adding neon sushi signs that have been getting neighbors’ attention.
Jinsei Motto is planning a fall opening.
Birdys Bakery & Cafe
The team behind Noodlebird, 2957 W. Diversey Ave. — previously Fat Rice — is opening a bakery and cafe called Birdys next door at 2951 W. Diversey Ave., in the former home of Fat Rice’s bakery.
The owners are planning a summer opening, according to an announcement in the restaurant’s May newsletter.
Lark Pizza, inside Guild Row
In Avondale, Lark Pizza is prepping for a July opening inside coworking space Guild Row, 3130 N. Rockwell St. The new venture from Meadowlark Hospitality and owner Steve Lewis will specialize in neo-Neapolitan-style pies topped with seasonal ingredients and Italian classics, the team said in an Instagram post.
Meadowlark Hospitality also runs Lardon and Union in Logan Square; Lark Pizza will feature Lardon’s house-cured salami, according to the post.
The cocktail program by beverage director Abe Vucekovich will “reflect the same playful
